Heating system



Feb. 6, 1945. w. w. HALLINAN 2,369,044

- HEATING SYSTEM Original Filed Ot. 16, 1939 1 2 SheetsSheet 1 Feb. 6,1945.

' W. HALLINAN HEATING sYsT'EM Original Filed uct. .16, 19:59 2sheets-sheet 2 7 l ig@ 1 j 6 ,L h/@f n 2 @j e2 r, 6 @f 9 f Q @a w w 0o 6@,O M

Patented Feb. c, 1945 l UNITED s'm'r'lzsv PATENT oFrlcE HEATING ,SYSTEMWilliam w. Hallman, Menden, m.

Original application October 16, 1939, Serial No.

299,616. Divided and this application December l1, 1941, Serial No.422,475

9 Claims.

The present application is a division of m'y 1 prior application, Ser.No. 299,616, Heating systems, led October 16, 1939, now Patent Number2,289,287, dated July 7, 1942.

, The heating lsystems of the prior art of this character are subject tothe disadvantage that they are either complicated or they are soconstructed that the volume of air circulated by the blower or fan mustfbe adjusted to take care of the maximum heating load, 'which inevitablyresults in a higher operating temperature for the furnace', too great avolume of air put out by the fan when there 'is but a little demand forheat, and a blast of cold air f rom the furnace soon after the fanbegins to operate, when the-furnace is not operating at maximum heatingload.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improvedheating system in which the fan may be operated continuously, or it may'commence its operation at a relatively low temperature, and `in whichthe speed of operation of the fan is continuously modulated from lowspeed at-small furnace output to maximum speed at maximum furnace load.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved heatingsystem of the class described, in which the operating temperature may bereduced to a lower value than the devices of the prior art, thusreducing thefurnace losses at the stack and losses in the cellar, andproviding a more eiiicient heating system.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved heatingsystem of the class described, -which is adapted to operate within 'asmaller range of temperature variation' for the purpose of maintaining amore uniform temperature inthe rooms to be heated, and for the purposeof eliminating any possibility of 'a blast of cold air. f

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedheatingsystem of the class de-v scribed, by meansfof which the volume of 'aircirculated in the system is dependent upon the emperaturexofthemcirculating air or of the air in the plenum chamber in the furnace,so that a 50 maximum efliciency of distribution of heat from the furnaceis achieved'and the circulating system. is adapted at al1.times tocirculate a volume of air which is required to carry away the-heat fromthe furnace.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedvariablespeeddriving system for air circulating fans, which isefficient, economical, and capable of manufacture and installation at 5a reasonable cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate similar parts 10 throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings accom-` panying thespecification:

Fig. 1 -is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view of a hotair furnaceembodying the present heatl5 ing system;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the motor and blower, with thefurnacein partial" section;V

Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view, taken on the '20 plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig 4 is a fragmentary end elevational view of theA adjustable nut, bymeans of which the tension of the V pulley is adjusted.

Referring to the drawings, I0 indicates in its I entirety theinstallation which includes the furnace Il, such as a gas furnace, anoil burner, orv a coal Stoker type, controlled by room thermostats andauxiliary equipment so as to be turned on responsive to the heat4 demandin the rooms. I

The furnace casing is indicated at I2, and it is providedwith the usualbonnet I3, having hot air outlets to the rooms at I 4.

'Ihe cold airinlet to the furnace lcasing is at 35 I5, the outlet of afan or blower IS preferably of the centrifugal type, having a suitablecentrifugal impeller shaft I1, whichis provided with a V 4pulley-I8. vjI The discharge pipe from the blo-wer I6 passes 40 through a hole in thewall of the furnace housing.

rIfhe blower, of course, takes in air within the chamber where it islocated, through intake apertures at the end of' the shaft I1. Thus theonly cold air inlet to the furnace is through the blower 5 I6, whichtakes its cold air in from the upper l.conduit 2l.

The blower I6 is adapted to be driven by means `of a V belt I9 ofconstant width, which is driven by a variable diameter pulley 20 carriedby the shaft 2| of a substantially constant speedmotorr 22. Y -A Theblower I6 andmotor 22 and other auxiliary equipment may be installed ina filter housing 23, comprising a metal housing of substan- 5 tiallyrectangular shape, connected to the fursuitable tension. y .The variablediameter and lock washer 49.

nace casing |2, and having a screened inlet at 24. Supporting angles inthe lter housing may supportv a plurality of suitable air iilt'ers 26,through which the air passes to the inlet of the centrifugal blower I6,said blower being provided with an inlet at one or both of the ends ofits housing, surrounding the shaft I1. Suitable cold air conduits 21from the rooms are in communication with the cold air inlet 21 to theltel I' may have its tension adjusted by means of the nuts on the.threaded end of the spring, and the spring tends to urge the motorpivotally f about the center of the shaft `3| in a counterclockwisedirection so as to give the belt I9 a pulley 28, carried by the motorshaft 2|, is illustrated in detail in Fig. 3. It preferably consists ofa pair of pulley sections 36 and 31. the radially extending flanges 38and 39,v which havethe opposed frusto-conical surfaces 48 andv 4|,forming a substantially V-shaped ,groove l42 for receiving thewedge-shaped leather V belt I9.

'I'he pulley section 36 preferably has a centrally located circularbore'43 in" the cylindrical hub Y 44and the bore 431s adapted to receivethe 4motorfsh'aft 2|, to which the section 36 is secured by a set screw45 or a suitable key.

The emi of the hub 44 may have a reduced threaded extension 46 forslidably receiving thespring seat 41 and-receiving the'threaded nut 4 8The hubr44 is preferablyv provided with an outer cylindrical surface 56,

The key 52 may have a -tight frictional fit in one of the grooves 5| or53 and be readily slidable with respect to the other of. said grooves.

In other words, the key may be secured to the section 36 or the section31, but 'section 31. is

The pulley sections are provided with plurality of radial slots 66, andtheI spring seat 41 with a rib 61 for engaging in any one of thoseslots.

It will be evident that the tension of the spring 51 may be adjusted bythe -position of the nut 48. The nut 48 may be locked inits adjustedposition by the rib 61, and an inward pressure of the spring seat 41against the spring 51 will remove the rib 61 from its groove 66 andpermit an adjustment of the nut 48.

The operation of the spring pulley is as follows:

The effective diameter of the pulley depends upon the point to which thebelt I9 is drawn into the groove 42. This in Vturn depends upon thecause the driving pulley 20 is smaller relative tothe size of the drivenypulley I8.

When the motor 22 moves to the right or pivots in the clockwisedirection, the center of the pulley la being nxed, and the bn; ls beingof vconstant length, the belt is permitted to ride formedwith akeyway 5|for receiving the key- 52 of substantially rectangular cross sectin,-which is also received in a groove 53 inthe pulley section 31.

adapted to slide freely relative to the section 36. 5

The pulley section 31 is provided with the tubular or cylindricalextension 54, having an inner cylindrical bore 55 slidably mounted on'the hub 44. The tubular extension 54 may-have a cylindricalenlargementat 56, engaging the inside of out farther in the groove 42,the spring 51. forces the pulley sections 36, 31 closer together, andthe effective-diameter of the adjustable pulley 2U is increased. Thisincreases 'the speed of rotation of the blower I6 because thesliyze ofthe pulley 2 0 relative to that of the pulley I8 has been increased.

The position and movement of the motor 22 on its pivotal support 3| ispreferably controlled by pressure responsive or thermally responsivemeans, such as a metal bellows 10.

The blower I6 and motor 22 are carried by a base 1|, which may have anupwardly extending bracket 12 for iixedly supporting one end of the iextensible metal bellows 10. The other, or right hand, end of thebellows has its face provided 1in the bellows and which may be subjectedto member having a hub'l 59, an outwardly extend- 4 36. The spring seat41 may be mounted for sliding movement on the reduced portion 46, but ispreventedfromrotation bya rib or key 63, 1ocated in an axially extendingslot 64. The outcal form, and there mayxbe a-radial flange for engaging'the under s ide of the lock washer 49. The lock washer 49-may beprovidedwith a wardly extending ange 60 may be of frusto-coniheat in any of aplurality of different ways.

For example, the furnace casing I2 is provided with a conduit 8| leadingfrom the top of the casing and extending over to the thermostat 10,where it has rits vdischarge opening 82 located to discharge hot airfrom the plenum chamber on the thermostat 10. Here -the circulation ofthe air is caused by the blower I6, and hot; air from the plenum chamber19 is immediately blown on the thermostat 10 so that the thermostat isresponsive to the temperature of the air delivered from the plenumchamber.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The furnace ||A may beconsidered to be any source of heat, such as a furnace having an oilburner, a gas burner, or a coal stokerfor the furnace may be replaced byan ordinary radiator forming a part of the steam or water heatingsystem. In the latter case the present air conditioning system would bea separate unit, applied only to one or more of the radiators for thepur pose of providing a continuous and modulated circulation of air in aroom.

The thermostatic control for the mo'tor 22 may include a room thermostatfor turning on the motor at a predetermined temperature, or the motormay be controlled exclusively by a furnace thermostat (not shown).

In other cases the motor 22 may operate continuously at a low rate ofspeed, while the heating system is in operation, the motor circuit beingclosed by a plenum chamber thermostat (not shown) when the plenumchamber reaches a predeterminedvalue, and thereafter the speed of themotor is controlled by means of the thermostat 10.

When the plenum chamber 19 delivers air at a moderate temperature, thethermostat 10 is contracted, and the motor 22 is pivoted overcounterclockwise in Fig 1, a position to which it is urged by the spring32.

The spring 32 isl strong enough so that it is adapted to overcome theaxial pressure of the spring 51 when the thermostat 1U is not working toforce the motor in the opposite direction, and therefore the belt i9 isdrawn deeply into the groove 42' of the `pulley, and the pulley has itssmallest effective diameter. Under these conditions the 'blower will bedriven at a low speed because the driving pulley is smaller, and only asmall volume of air will be driven through the furnace and out of theair registers.

As the temperature of the air delivered from` the plenum chamberincreases, the thermostat lll expands, moving the motor 22 toward theright on the pivot 3l, andthe length of the belt i9 being constant, thebelt is permitted to ride outward in the groove 42, giving the pulley2li a larger effective diameter. This increases the speed of rotation ofthe'blower, and a larger volume of air is delivered, depending upon thetemperature of the air inthe plenum chamber.

The characteristics of the thermostatic control Aand the biasing springsmay Ibe made such that the relation between the temperature and volumeof air delivered is substantially a straight line,

curve,and the volume of air delivered is substan- 'tially proportionalto the temperature expressed v perature at which the motor is startedneed not be set so high as in the devices of the prior art where ablower usually is set at maximum speed in order to take care of the fullload of the furnace.

The present device not only takes care of full load of heat deliveredfrom thevfurnace; but also delivers a moderate amount of heat when Ithefurnace is producing a moderate amount of heat, and the amount of heatdelivered by the blower to the rooms in the form of hot air iscontinuously and uniformly graduated from a small amount to maximumdelivery.

v While the thermostat in this case is not sul jected to'thetemperatureof the air in the plenum chamber, it is responsive to the temperatur-eefthe air delivered from the plenum chamber', which is substantially thesame thing as being responsive to the air coming directly from thefurnace into the room or space to be heated.

Asl one of the objects of the invention is to prevent the yblowing ofcold air into the room at a rate of speed, it follows that it isadvantageous to control the speed ofthe blower responsive to thetemperature of the air delivered from the plenum chamber.

Itjwill thus be observed that I have invented an improved heating systemwhich may be embodied in all types of furnaces or utilized with hotwater or steam radiators for single units used in rooms. a

My heatingI system provides a continuous and modulated change ofdelivery of heated air by means of a blower, the volume of which changescontinuously and uniformly with changes in temperature of the furnace orthe air to be deliv ered. Stratication is eliminated, and such a blowermay be operated continuously without causing a cold blast of air at anytime because when the air is cooler, the speed of rotation of the fan islower, and a smaller volume of air, which is not so hot, may bedelivered without causing the sensation of a cold blast.

whiie I have nlustrated a preferred embodi` 1. In av heating system, thecombination of a A source of heat with an air housing surrounding saidsource, and having a cold air inlet and a hot air outlet, the course ofcirculation of air through said cold air inlet and hot air outletincluding an enclosed space to be heated and also including a blower foreffecting a forced circulation, electric motor means for driving saidblower, and thermostatic means controlled by heat received from saidsource of heat for continuously and uniformly varying the speed ofoperation of the blower from a minimumat low temperatures to a maximumat high temperatures,

a whereby the volume of delivery of heated air from said housing isvaried according to the amount of heat produced by said source, saidlatter means including a pulley of variable diameter for driving saidblower, the effective diameter of said pulley being controlled by saidthermostatic means, said thermostatic means comprising an expansiblemetal chamber and said system having a conduit leading from the housingfor blowing heated air on said thermostatic means when the system isoperating. g

2. In a heating system, the combination `of a source of heat with anenclosure about said source forming a plenum chamber, said enclosurehaving a cold air inlet, a hot air outlet, and a blower in communicationwith said plenum. chamber, said blower being driven by an electric motorby means .of a pair of V pulleys, and a wedgeshaped beltqone of saidpulleys having a pair of movable sections spring pressed together toform a pulley of variable diameter, and thermostatic means forcontrolling the relative position of said pulleys whereby the speed ofrotation of the blower is thermostatically controlled, said motor beingpivotally mounted, and said thermostatic means acting aaginst said motorand against a iixed abutment whereby the thermostatic means Ipulley byvariation of the is adapted to move the motorand `change the distancebetween the centers of said pulleys to cause the wedge-shaped belt toengage the sectional pulley at different effective diameters.

3. In a heating system, the4 combination of a source of heat with an-enclosure about said static means acting against said motor and againsta ixed abutment whereby the thermostatic means is adapted to move themotor and change the distance between the centers of said pulleys tocause the wedge-shaped belt to engage the sectional pulley at differenteective diameters, and spring means acting against said thermostaticmeans for maintaining the belt in atauty condition.

4. In a heating system, the combination of a source of heat with anenclosure about said source forming a plenum chamber, said enclosurehaving a cold air inlet, a hot air outlet, and a blower in communicationwith said plenum chamber, said blower being driven by an electric motorby means of a pair of V` pulleys, and a wedge-shaped belt, one of saidpulleys having a pair of movable sections spring pressed together Vtoform apulley of variable diameter, and thermostatie means forcontrolling the relative position of said pulleys whereby the speed ofrotation of the blower is thermostatically controlled, said motor beingpivotally mounted, and said thermostatic means acting against said motorand against a iixed abutment whereby the thermostatic means is adaptedto move the motor and change the distance between the centers of saidpulleys to cause the wedge-shaped belt to engage Athe sectional pulleyat diii'erent effective diameters, and spring means acting against saidthermostatic means for maintaing the belt in a taut condition, thesections of said pulleys being spring pressed together by a spring ofless strength in its environment than the latter spring means.

5. A blower controlling system for hot air furnaces, comprising a blowerprovided with a driven pulley of the V-type, a support carrying saidblower, a constant speed driving motor movably mounted on said support,and having a V-pulley for driving the blower, a V-belt embracing saidpulleys, one of said` pulleys comprising a pair of relatively movablesections spring pressed together to provide a groove lof varying widthand varying eiectivediameter, and means for controlling the speed ofdrive of said blower, comprisng means for acting on said motor andmoving it relative to said support to cause a variation in the effectivesize of ,said variable diameter distance between the pulley centers.

6. A blower controlling system for hot air furnaces, comprising ablowerprovided with a driven pulley of the V-type, a support carrying saidblower, a constant speed driving motor movably mounted on said support,and having a V-pulley l relatively'movable. sections spring pressedtogether to provide a groove of varying width and varying effectivediameter, and means for controlling the speed og drive of said blower,comprising meansV for acting on said motor and moving it relative tosaid support to cause a variation in the eilective sizeof said variablediameter pulley by'variation of the distance between the pulley centers,said latter controlling means comprising a pressure responsive bellowshaving one end xedly secured to said support, and the other secured tosaid motor.

7. In a heating system,the

ducting the'hot air to said thermostatic means whereby the thermostaticmeans is made responsive to the temperature of air discharged from saidenclosure.

8. In a heating system, the combination of a `heater with an'enclosurefor receiving thel air to be heated. said enclosure having a cold airinlet.

and a hot air outlet, a motor-driven blower having its outletcommunicating with the cold air inlet of said enclosure and having itsinletlocated to communicate with a cold air pipe, thermostatic' meansfor controlling the speed of actuation of said blower by its motor, anda conduit communicating with said enclosure and adapted to receive hotair fromv said enclosure, said conduit conducting the hot air to saidthermostatic means whereby the Ithermostatic means is made responsive tothe temperature of air discharged from said enclosure, said blower motorand thermostatic means being located in anenlargement of a conduitserving as the cold air inlet to the system.

9. In a heating system, the combination of a heater with anair'enclosure having its walls spaced-from said heater, for receivingthe air to be heated, said enclosure having a cold air inlet and a hotair outlet, a motor driven blower having its outlet communicating withthe cold air inlet of said enclosure, a motor for driving said blower,

an auxiliary housing enclosing said motorv and Y -blower and having acold air inlet, thermostatic means for regulating andcontrolling thespeed of rotation of said blower by said motor, and a by-pass conduitextending from a point adjacent the top of said first-mentioned heaterenclosure and discharging into said second-mentioned en'- closureadjacent said thermostatic means for subjecting thevthermostatie meansto air discharge from the .heater enclosure, said ,thermostatic meansbeing arranged to increase the speed of rotation of said blower asthetempera'ture of the air discharged by said by-pass increases and todecrease the speed of rotation of said blower as the temperature of theair discharged from said by-pass decreasesjwhereby the motor and blowermay be located in a relatively cool portion of the installation and maybe directly controlled by said thermostatic means responsive to airclischarged from the heater enclosure. WILLIAM W. HALLINAN.

combination of a heater `with an enclosure for receiving the air to` beheated, said enclosure having a cold air inlet and a. hot air outlet, amotor-driven blower hav-

